 |  Given the problems Robbo faced playing for England I'm sure he won't be bothered about my size |
If England fans thought Neil Back was small, wait until they see hooker Lee Mears trot out onto the pitch.
At 5ft 9in and weighing only 15 stones, the Bath player is one of the smaller forwards on the professional circuit.
And he is practically dwarfed by the player he will understudy for England, Northampton's Steve Thompson, who is 6ft 2in and weighs more than 18 stones.
Yet Mears insists his diminutive size does not hinder him.
"The All Blacks are arguably the form side in the world at the moment and their hooker Kevin Mealamu is the same size and shape as me," he told BBC Sport.
"Hopefully the game is starting to change and in addition I think you can have different types of hookers - we offer the team another option."
One man who agrees that Mears could make it at the top level is Jon Callard, now with the England Academy but head coach at Bath from 1999-2002.
"He's a great character who has worked really hard to get where he is in the game," Callard said.
| Mike Foley has tried to teach me all the strengths of his game |
"Lee's surprisingly powerful and goes into contact so low to the ground he's hard to stop, and his handling skills are excellent.
"If you want to play a fast dynamic game you need talented footballers like Lee Mears."
Mears' throwing skills are also widely admired - a useful tool for an aspiring England hooker given Thompson's sometimes erratic form.
He gives much of the credit to Bath's forwards coach Mike Foley, a World Cup-winning hooker with Australia in 1999.
"When Mike first arrived he tried to teach me all the strengths of his game that he thought I didn't have - in particular the scrummage and running a game," he said.
"I learnt a lot from Jonathan Humphreys too - his body was battered by the time he was with us but he never gave an inch."
| LEE MEARS FACTFILE Born: 5/3/79 Height: 5ft 9in (1.75m) Weight: 15st 5lb (98.9 kg) Honours: 2005 Churchill Cup XV Culinary speciality: Beef Wellington |
Mears will need to draw on all of that experience when Gloucester - unbeaten this season - come calling this weekend.
The Cherry-and-Whites have never won a league match at the Rec, but with former Bath favourite Mike Tindall in their ranks they might fancy their chances of making history.
"I'm sure the forwards will give Mike a warm reception when he gets here," Mears said.
"It's always a feisty game, you don't need to get yourself up for these sorts of matches."
For Bath and Gloucester it's the small matter of four points and local pride.
Mears finally secured his first team place at Bath this season, despite having been at the club for more than seven years.
And with the departure of Jonathan Humphreys at the end of last season the scene was set for Mears to finally claim the number two shirt.
"It's nice to be first choice for a change, especially when you're playing with such a strong pack," Mears said.
"We didn't have a great start to the season but we've won three in a row now so hopefully we can build on that."
Mears will be hoping his side can, not only for their Premiership hopes but also for his chances of making the England starting XV for the autumn internationals.
Training with the squad at Loughborough has given him a taste of what could be on the horizon, and Mears - a qualified chef - is eager for more.
"It was a superb experience to be involved with all those great players - I really enjoyed it," he said.
"I know Andy Robinson well from Bath and then he taught me at Colston's (school in Bristol). Given the problems he faced playing for England I'm sure he won't be bothered about my size."
For Lee Mears every game now is a chance to prove to the England selectors that every so often, the best things come in small packages.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
